Part of my heart feels jealous.

Apparently, we will be having a family reunion in Los Angeles next week, and my Mom told me that a lot of our relatives have signified their intention of joining the reunion.

See, almost all of my (maternal) relatives have immigrated to the States, and since I’m a sucker for family affairs, I am one sore loser because I cannot be there to exchange pleasantries with long, lost cousins and reminisce about the old but beautiful days of our childhood.

It’s a good thing though that my Aunt Norma, who will be hosting the gathering, will hire Photo Booth Rental Los Angeles, so we can at least catch a glimpse of how their lives have been on that side of the world. I know I will have a lot of fun looking at their pictures once the pictures will have been uploaded, and my only consolation against bitterness is the fact that Facebook makes the world smaller, and with just a click of a button, I can ‘like’ and ‘unlike’ pictures that I like and unlike, respectively. LOL.

I have not personally been to Los Angeles, and the things that I know about the place is mainly culled from my (sporadic) readings of the Los Angeles Times. Of course, I know that Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the US, and next week, it is about to get better because all my relatives will be there.

Anyway, there is nothing that can be achieved if I just wallow in jealousy over my absence in the family reunion, so I will just drown myself with law books and feel-good music in the next couple of days.

(Drastic seque alert)

The semester is about to end, and I only have a month left to slug it out with law school before the first semester ends. I am so stoked to finally see that I have made it out alive in my first semester in law school.

All these things have made me realize that in just a whiff of a moment, time flies so fast like that.

Just last week, the class saw its brutal disembowelment.

When the semester started this June, there were around 40 of us in class — 40 aspiring lawyers who were resolute in slugging it out with law school for the next four years of their lives.

But as the weeks passed and the readings have accumulated into voluminous piles of of cases and jurisprudence, the class slowly whittled down in number.

At first, one or two people dropped from school because they could not balance work and school life well, but after a while, it became apparent that the more recent casualties succumbed to the pressure of law schooling.

Around five or six of my closest friends, just for this month alone, decided to stop schooling because, according to to one of them, the required readings, are just too inhumane.

As a matter of fact, a close friend, Roger, is contemplating on quitting school as well, because he is bent in looking for Help Desk Specialist Jobs that can help him in his finances, as the necessary readings can be quite financially-taxing through time.

I advised him against it, because I personally feel that working while being in law school will greatly compromise one’s ability to making it out alive after the semester.

I cautioned him to think this decision through because if he does so without considering the physical rigors that both tasks require, he might end up perpetually exhausted and equally counterproductive in both capacities.

As for me, I only take refuge in the fact that although things are hard right now, I am doing this as an investment to my future — that even when I have messed up so bad in the past, I can still change the path of my life and be someone who can be of great help to my family and the society in general.

Okay, enough with cliches and back to reading more cases again.

Just yesterday, my dad visited me and my sister in Cebu.

He arrived in Cebu from a business trip in Manila, and since Cebu is sandwiched between Manila and Dumaguete, he decided it would be better to have a quick stop here, and see how my sister and I have been.

After the usual pleasantries and the quick chitchat of how-have-you-beens, he casually handed over a book to me. Puzzled, I asked him what it was.

“This is a great book for you to read. It’s about being a good business owner“, he quipped.

I scratched my head.

I’ve never been interested in being a businessman — as a matter of fact, at a very young age, I have already shunned the very prospect of doing business someday. But half-interestedly, I flipped the first page, then the second, then without noticing it, I had already read half of the book’s contents.

Aware that I was liking the book that my dad just gave me, I looked at who its author was. Michael Masterson, who is its author, is apparently a widely-celebrated self-help author in Wall Street circles. And even when business and I mix like water and oil do, I still found his insights very helpful.

He talked a great deal about dedication, sincerity, and believing in your dreams well enough that in no time, all that you aspire for will be within reach, sometimes even without you noticing that it has already become yours.

I silently thought: This could apply to my travails as a law school student. Dedication, sincerity, and commitment are universal ideals, and when invoked in everything that we do, mediocrity will cease to exist in even the smallest endeavors.

Perhaps, the reason why his book resonated with me so much is because of the simple language that he employs. He is specific, concise, and sharp with his words — which is unlike most self-help books nowadays that use convoluted language that cannot be deciphered without using grammar help books and what-not.

It’s been a long time since I picked up a good book — and even when I normally shun self-help and motivational books as a matter of personal preference, I am glad I picked up this book and read it from cover to cover.

I am super stoked!

This coming weekend will be a long one for all of us, because apparently, September 9 is a holiday in Cebu. Classes and work will be suspended for this day for the public to commemorate the birth of Sergio Osmena, one of the country’s highly-revered nationalists and widely-acknowledged as one of the greatest Filipino presidents to have served the country.

This is the reason why earlier today, I visited the local mall to look for DVDs that can keep me company for the 3-day weekend that awaits me. Suits, check. CSI Miami, check. NCIS, check. And just when I was about to pay for the merchandise that I’ve purchased and head back home, I decided to make a last minute addition to my collection and picked up the latest season of Grey’s Anatomy.

I remember being so addicted to the series before, and I know that part of the show’s allure to me was the sight of people in medical scrubs who would be rushing like madmen in the hospital, running for their dear lives, and attending to the complicated medical afflictions of their patients.

And even when I am not the greatest fan of blood oozing out of disemboweled body parts, or images of sutures and stitches, I still slugged it out with that series, because it felt good to be part of the mayhem that surrounded the lives of the characters in that series.

Weekend, bring it on!

Just recently, I had a Facebook friend request from an unknown foreigner. Looking at our common friends in Facebook, I was puzzled to see that we had no common friends whatsoever. His name looked familiar — at first, my mind was completely blank as to who this stranger was, but after reading the personal message that was included in his friend request, I instantly recalled who he was.

He was Evan, a family friend, and he lived with us for a couple of months back when he was part of a Christian home exchange program in the early 90′s.

Upon trying my best to recall my recollections of him, I slowly pictured him as that 6 foot, lanky, and cool dude who taught me how to play frisbee — and during afternoons when the weather would permit us to, we spent the entire time just tossing the frisbee back and forth.

Kuya Evan, it suddenly dawned on me, was the one who told me about all these great things about the United States of America, and at such a young age, I was determined to visit his country one day. But here, now, faced with the prospect of being immersed in a lot of school work for the next four years or so, I can only sigh at how things worked out differently for me.

But on a personal level though, I think that these exchange programs are good opportunities for people to travel and immerse in different cultures.

It’s great enough that several clergy people get to travel halfway around the world to get to know the customs of other Christians, but it’s even better that they get to do so with the funding of their church.

I am just glad that with the technological advancements that have been introduced in today’s modern world, we can easily connect with people that we have lost touch for the longest time — and now, I can’t wait to tell him that the little boy that used to be so fascinated with frisbee several years ago is now a struggling law student who is bent on being one good lawyer in the future.

Just the other day, my mom’s sister hysterically phoned my mother, just when we were having lunch in one of Cebu’s malls. My interest piqued, because her hysteria was apparent even when she was only on the phone, I later on asked my mother what the ruckus was all about.

Calmly, my mom said that my aunt just won a significant amount of money from a local betting game in Dumaguete – and at once, I knew that she had won in suertres, a local game of chance that is quite popular in Dumaguete, which is also where I come from.

I just brushed the news aside, but as I was busy finishing my lunch, I thought about what I would do if it had been me that won from suertres. The geek in me instantly quipped that I would be getting that Murakami book that I have been intending to buy since last year, but almost just as instantaneously, I shot down the idea, because, I rationalized, that amount of money would be better saved in preparation for ‘rainy days’.

My aunt’s story brought back memories of my childhood. When I was in elementary, everyone in my household, including our household help, was enamored with suertres. I was personally intrigued by it when I was in fifth grade, so much so that I even tried betting once – much to my dismay later on, because apparently, the gods of chance do not favor me.

I just finished off my lunch with the idea that human beings, perhaps, are innately drawn to the prospect of winning in games of chance. There is something alluring to the idea of spending a little of amount of money and getting something more in return.

Probably one day, when I have extra cash to spare and when I am ready to try my fate with the gods of chance once more, I might just buy an instant cash sweepstakes ticket and hope that I will be like my aunt, phoning my mother on a random Monday noon and telling her that I am one million pesos richer.

I am stoked for the coming weekend.

My eldest brother, together with my sister-in-law, will be visiting us in Cebu. They will also be bringing with them their two cute shih tzu puppies, Hershey and Prince, so I need to psyche myself up for the mayhem that those two bad boys will bring.

They just actually arrived from a vacation in Shanghai, and perhaps, their Cebu trip will be an extension of their long-deserved vacation together. Also, they will be bringing with them their newly-purchased car.

Their fortunes, it seems, have improved tremendously in the past few months or so — and we only have grace to thank for all the blessings that they are enoying right now.

My brother even asked me to scout for buick rubber mats that would look good on their car. If everything goes according to plan and I wake up early tomorrow (fingers crossed here), I might just do the rounds and look for a kick-ass rubber mat that they would like.

Weekend, I am ready for you! If it’s possible, please happen sooner!

I find it so hard to be in the ‘school zone’ once again.

You see, classes were actually suspended last week because the university held its annual intramural games, and while most of my classmates opted to vacation some place else, I decided it was better to stay in Cebu.

The reason why I stayed behind amid the mass flight of students to the rural areas was because I needed to read up on my backlogs (in my subjects), and the seven-day hiatus was the best time for me to do so. So while most of my friends were having the time of their lives and taking a breather from the monotony of law school life, I was with my books and busy catching up with my lessons. Sigh.

Also, we had our condominium blessed last weekend, so my parents and brothers visited us in Cebu.

What made their trip memorable was all the food that they brought with them! My parents brought with them seven trays of different food varieties, and needless to say, our stomachs were bursting with home-cooked food for the three days or so that they visited us.

My mother even bought matouk linens for my sister and I so we can sleep well at night. All in all, it was one of the best times that I’ve had in a really, really long time.

I shall post pictures of our newly-blessed home soon.

I did not announce this to the world, because I am shy like that, but two weeks ago, I was on national TV. The reason for the appearance: debate.

For people who know me personally, this would not be that surprising, because in my undergraduate days, debate consumed my life. When I talk, and talking is something that I often do, I feel like I’m in my element because of the natural high that I get each time I am confronted with a proposition.

The topic was actually quite interesting. It was about censoring an artist who recently showed his exhibit to the general public via the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Because the majority’s moral sensibilities were bothered by the picture of Jesus Christ with a penis attached on the face, the country was divided with the question of where freedom of expression ends, and where freedom of religion begins.

We were tasked to debate against censorship — and at first, it was a hard feat, but through time and with sufficient research, we were able to put up a good fight against the other team. In the end, and by a slim margin, we won.

While watching the replay though, one thing stood out for me: I looked so fat on TV! I know this sentiment may be verging on narcissism, but I was seriously disturbed by how I looked on TV. I know that the camera adds ten pounds, but I just need to ask: how many cameras were actually on me? lol.

Anyway, here is a snapshot of what happened during the debate:

Did I, or did I not gain? You be the judge! Because I am vain like that and we will be going back to Manila for the quarterfinals, I vow to lose weight lest the camera distorts my face again. I shall do everything that I can to appear more presentable on national television, even if it means looking for the best natural weight loss pills to do this.

Wish me luck, earthlings!

This week I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.

I know that I’m enjoying what I am doing right now — law schooling — but during pensive moments when I am confronted with my thoughts and I muse about the future, I can’t help but think:

That I am already 27 years old. I know that for most people, being 27 brings with it the presumption of a certain degree of stability and maturity, and that during this age, the individual should already be able to stand on his own.

But clearly this is not the case for me, because I have chosen to pursue my childhood dream — of course, this is not to say that I regret my decision, because I know that this is the best decision I’ve made so far.

The only lingering reservation that I feel about the four years or so that lies ahead of me is the condition of my parents. Although I am thankful that they are in the best of health right now, I can’t help but wish that instead of constantly working 24/7 at their ages now, they should be reading up on active adult health information.

I have a lot of aunts and uncles right now who have since resigned from their jobs, and have become frequent travelers to different countries — venturing from one adventure to the next. Several of them who are in the States even frequently go to Florida active adult communities – just whiling the time away relaxing in the awesome amenities,  basking in nature treks, and just enjoying other worthwhile activities.

However, instead of wallowing in self-pity and being debilitated by this realization, I intend to make this part of my motivation to do well in school. With the proper frame of mind, a resolute spirit, and hopefully, a determination that is incapable of waning, I will be able to weather law school, and make my parents proud.

Wish me luck!